Apparatus for the manufacture of handle attachments for paper bags



May 16, 1961 J BAGNALL APPARATUS FOR T HE MANUFACTURE OF HANDLEATTACHMENTS FOR PAPER BAGS July 28, 1958 Filed /NVENTOR I 1 i:

Jbu/v BAGNALL United States Patent APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE ogHANDLE ATTACHMENTS FOR PAPER 11 GS John Bagnall, Windsor Mills, Quebec,Canada, assignor to Canada Paper Company, Quebec, Quebec, Canada FiledJuly 28, 1958, Ser. No. 751,485

3 Claims. (Cl. 1-2) This invention relates to improvements in apparatusfor the manufacture of handle attachments for paper bags and moreparticularly to means for stapling two staples to each arm of the handleloop by a single head stitcher.

The present invention is an improvement over the stitching assemblyshown and described in US. Patent No. 2,332,530 in which the twostaples, securing each arm of the handle loop to the strip of cardboard,are sectfied in a single operation by means of a double head stitchingmachine. Double head stitching machines such as are used in Us. PatentNo. 2,332,530 are complicated to set up and maintain in satisfactoryoperating condition over long runs of the handle forming apparatus,requiring frequent adjustment and maintenance. 0n the other hand, singlehead stitching machines are less complicated and can be maintained inoperation over a longer period of time without adjustment and stoppagesfor maintenance.

The present invention consists essentially in the provision of meanswhereby, after one staple has been stitched to one of the arms of thelooped handle and to the cardboard strip and while the feed rolls forthe cardboard strip are still stationary, the feed rolls together withthe cardboard strip and the handle former carrying the looped handle,are moved outwards in a direction at right angles to the normal line oftravel of the cardboard strip through the machine. A second staple isthen stitched to the arm of the handle and cardboard strip, after whichthe feed rolls, cardboard strip and handle former are withdrawn to theline of normal travel of the cardboard strip and the forward feed of thecardboard strip is resumed.

The object of the invention is to provide means in a handle formingapparatus whereby a single head stitcher can be used to apply twostaples offset from each other on each arm of the looped handle.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the followingspecification and the drawings forming a part thereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial elevation of that portion of a handle formingmachine in which the formed handle is stitched to a strip of cardboard.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the cardboard feed roll drive andreciprocating mechanism and showing a handle partly stitched to thecardboard strip.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of the machine taken on the line3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the feed roll andhandle former moved out to bring the handle into position for a secondstaple to be stitched.

Figure 5 is a vertical section on the line 5--5 of Figure 3 showing thetransverse push plate.

Figure 6 is a vertical section on the line 6-6 of Figure 3 showing thecam and cam lever.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the cam showing the inclined plane operatingsurface.

Referring to the drawings, the paper bag handle forming machine, morefully described in United States Patent No. 2,332,530, is here shown inpart only, disclosing that part of the machine in which the cardboardstrip is fed under a single head stitcher, stapling the arms of the loopformed handle to the cardboard strip.

The side walls 5 and 6 of the machine support the feed roll drivingmechanism comprising the intermittently driven spur gears 7 and 8. Thespur gears 7 and 8 have extension sleeves 7a and 8a, the extensionsleeve 7a being rotatably mounted in the bearing block 11, while theextension sleeve 8a is rotatably mounted in the side wall 5. Both spurgears 7 and 8 with their extension sleeves 7a and 8a are prevented fromaxial movement by suitable collars 7b and 8b. The shaft 9 is journalledin the bearing block 11a and is splined in the spur gear 7 for rotationtherewith. A feed roll 10 is mounted on the end of the shaft 9 remotefrom the spur gear 7. The shaft 9a is journalled in the side wall 6 andis splined in the spur gear 8 for rotation therewith. A feed roll 12 ismounted on the end of the shaft 9a remote from the spur gear 8. The spurgears 7 and 8 are intermittently driven by any suitable means, notshown. A transverse push plate 13 is a sliding fit on both shafts 9 and9a and has a side projection 13a drilled to receive the transverse pushrod 14.

The transverse push plate 13 is moved from the position shown in Figure3 to the position shown in Figure 4 by means of the rotary cam 15 drivenby the shaft 16 which in turn is rotated by the spur gear 17 from othergearing not shown. The cam 15 has a raised projection 18 on its face. Arocker arm 19 is pivoted in the bracket 20 mounted on the inner face ofthe side wall 6. The top end of the rocker arm 19 is connected to thetransverse push plate 13 by the link 21 while the lower end of therocker arm 19 is provided with a roller 22 adapted to roll on the faceof the cam 15 and be displaced by the raised surface 18 of the cam toeffect transverse movement of the push plate 13. The roller 18 is keptin contact with the cam 15 by the spring 23 anchored to the sidewall 5and to the pin 24 on the side projection 13a of the push plate 13 asshown in Figure 2.

Transverse displacement of the push plate 13 against the collars 25 and26, which are anchored on the shafts 9 and 11, effects displacement ofthe shafts 9 and 11 and also of the feed rolls 10 and 12. The handleformer 27, in which the string looped handle 28 is formed, is secured onthe end of the reciprocating rod 29. The shaft 14 secured at one end tothe transverse push plate 13 engages in a slot 30 in the rod 29' so thatthe rod 29 and the handle former 27 are displaceable along with the feedrolls 10 and 12, the slot 30 allowing the rod 29 free to be reciprocatedrelative to the fixed location of the shaft 14.

In the operation of this invention, the feed rolls carry the strip ofcardboard 31 forward in the machine into the area where the string isfed through the handle former 27. After the handle 28 is formed with theends of the handle projecting over the cardboard strip 31 and when theforward feeding of the cardboard strip has been stopped, the singlestaple 33 is stitched over the end of the handle securing it to thecardboard strip. During this stage the roller 22 is in contact with thenormal face of the cam 15 as shown in Figure 3. The cam 15 is set inrelation to the operation of the single head stapler 34 so that, afterthe staple 33 has been stitched, the raised portion 18 of the cam 15will come round, forcing the roller 22 outwards and pivoting the rockerarm 21 into the position shown in Figure 4 against the tension of thespring 23. The feed rolls 10 and 12 while still not rotating aredisplaced sideways of the machine as is also the handle former 2.7. Asecond stroke of the single head stapler 34 secures the staple 35 afterwhich the cam allows the push plate 13 to return to its normal positionshown in Figure 3. The spring 23 ensures that the push plate 13 willalways return to its normal position and that the roller 22 will be keptin contact with the cam 15 at all times. After the two staples 33 and 35have stitched one end of the handle 28 to the cardboard strip 31,rotation of the spur gears 7 and 8 starts the feeding of the cardboardstrip to bring the second end of the handle 28 under the stapler head 34Where another set of staples 33 and 35 are stitched over the end of thehandle to complete the securing together of the handle to the cardboardstrip. The strip 31 with its secured handle 28 is then advanced in themachine and is severed from the strip.

By the use of the above described device with proper setting of rotationof the feed rolls 10 and 12 and transverse displacement of the feedrolls and handle former a simple single head stitcher can be used inplace of the double head stitcher formerly used resulting in greatlyreduced initial cost of the machine, less complicated wire feedingthrough the stitcher, and longer operating life and maintenance costboth of the single head stitcher and of the machine as a whole.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for forming string handle attachments for paper bags inwhich a formed string handle of U shape is secured by stitching the twoends of the U-shaped string handle to a strip of cardboard, a pair ofshafts mounted in said machine for transverse movement therein, a spurgear splined to each of said shafts for relative transverse movement ofsaid shafts with respect to said spur gears, the said spur gearsengaging with each other for rotation in opposite directions, a pair offeed rolls mounted on said shafts for rotation therewith, the said feedrolls adapted to feed a strip of cardboard intermittently lengthwise ofsaid machine, a string loop handle former mounted on said machine andconnected to said shafts for transverse movement therewith, the saidstring loop handle former directing the two ends of the U-shaped stringloop handle extending therefrom to overlay the strip of cardboard towhich the extended ends of the handle are to be attached, a single headstitcher fixedly mounted on said machine and located above saidadvancing strip of cardboard, cam means moving said shafts, feed rolls,strip of cardboard and handle former transversely of said machine whilethe said spur gears and feed rolls are stationary to bring the extendedends of the formed handle and underlying strip of cardboard into twooperative postions under said single head stitcher, firstly to apply astitch over one extended end of the looped handle slightly inwards ofone edge of the strip of cardboard and secondly to apply a stitch overthe same extended end of the looped handle slightly inwards of theopposite edge of the strip of cardboard, means to rotate the said spurgears and feed rolls intermittently to advance said cardboard strip andhandle former longitudinally of the said machine to bring the second ofthe extended ends of the U-shaped handle under the said single headstitcher, and means to operate said stitcher in both transverse andlongitudinal positions of said string handle and strip of cardboard tosecure said handle on said strip of cardboard.

2. In a machine of the character set forth in claim 1 in which the cammeans includes a push rod connected to the handle former displacing thehandle former transversely a distance equal to the transverse movemqitof the feed rolls. I

3. In a machine of the character set forth in claim 2 in which the cammeans includes a rocker arm, a link connecting one end of the rocker armwith the feed roll shafts and push rod and has a roller at the other endcontacting the face of a rotary cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,762,857 Eaton June 10, 1930 2,332,530 Robinson Oct, 26, 1943 2,625,680Finn Ian. 20, 1953

